Saturday, September 20, 2008

Army Photoshop Scandal?

The CJR, natch, can't be bothered to run them side by side. But the folks at Think Progress do, to their credit. Naturally, the leftards take three yards and a cloud of dust and imagine a 89-yard pass to the end zone.

One of their commenters gets it, though: The photos in question are official portraits. They are typically taken in photo studios by professional photographers...usually civilians. And yes, just like in Sears portrait studios, the use of photoshop is common. Specifically, it's very common practice for a photographer to use photoshop to digitally alter an official DA photo to ensure the right medals are portrayed, and to correct minor uniform blemishes. Someone working in a photo lab, asked to create a DA photo for a soldier who does not have one on file, for example, would probably think nothing of working one up.

Why might someone not have a DA photo? Well, many reserve component soldiers don't live near a DA photo lab, or can't take time off work to have a photo taken. Or the soldier may have been promoted overseas, since the last time the photo was taken. If there is a need for a home town press release, as there was in this case when the soldiers died, then it seems natural to me that in the absence of an official DA photo, one would be created - out of respect for the soldier.

The fact that these libtards can extrapolate from this story to Jessica Lynch to all manner of conspiracy theories and corruption says far more about their fever-swamp state of mind than it does about the Army.

The Army did this so the soldier can have a portrait to run in the newspaper, or for the family to display at the funeral.